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2011's niche schedule

Lifestyles

TREATMENT: Family finds hyperbarics can treat mitochondrial disease -- "Austin and Sydney had been typical, non-complicated pregnancies. But when Austin was 1 year old, he started regressing," said Gerri Williams. Dr. Khaled encouraged the family to try hyperbaric treatment. By Clare Howard/ Peoria (Ill.) Journal Star

KENT BUSH: A new son, a new path -- I can't believe the time is finally here. As I write this, I am just over 12 hours from boarding a plane to Ethiopia for the first of two trips required for the adoption of our new son. Augusta Gazette

ELIZABETH DAVIES: Parenting imperfect kids -- A tiger mother, I am not. A perfect mother? I’m not that either. And that’s a darned good thing, because now I know not to expect perfect kids. Rockford (Ill.) Register Star

SUZETTE MARTINEZ STANDRING: Milestone birthdays and beyond - Many approach a major birthday -- 50, 60, 70 and beyond -- with mixed emotions. One side of the scale holds blessings and achievements. But often human nature tips toward the negative side on which sits doubts, decline and the invisibility associated with aging. By Suzette Martinez Standring, GHNS

Entertainment

ACTORS' BIOS: Jason Statham and Ben Foster in 'The Mechanic' -- Action star Jason Statham and character actor Ben Foster got their start in movies at roughly the same time in the late 1990s. But before teaming up as a hit man (Statham) and his apprentice (Foster) in “The Mechanic,” they were on divergent career paths. BY Ed Symkus/ The Patriot Ledger

MUSIC: Aly Spaltro, aka Lady Lamb the Beekeeper, getting buzz -- The wonderfully strange, wholly beguiling music of Aly Spaltro is something you hear for the first time and quickly wonder if you’re the only person not in on a secret. Based, until recently, in Portland, Maine, she’s the essence of DIY determination. By Chad Berndtson/ The Patriot Ledger

HISTORICAL OPERA: Holocaust victim’s opera is 'masterly' -- Thirty years after Viktor Ullmann composed an opera while in a concentration camp, the score was discovered in 1973 in a trunk in a London attic. “I was astonished by the piece. It’s masterly,” Lipsitt said. By Jody Feinberg/ The Patriot Ledger (Boston)

THE FARR SIDE: Ageless Cher hits No. 1 ... again -- The iconic diva just made music history for scoring No. 1 singles in each of the last six decades. Her latest, “You Haven’t Seen The Last Of Me,” topped the Billboard Dance/Club Play chart last week. By David T. Farr/ Sturgis (Mich.) Journal
* Poll idea: What's your favorite No. 1 Cher single?

MICHAEL WINSHIP: ‘Crude’ fights big business -- “The Roberts court, which has completed five terms, ruled for business interests 61 percent of the time, compared with 46 percent in the last five years of the court led by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, who died in 2005, and 42 percent by all courts since 1953.” Messenger Post (N.Y.)

CHARITA GOSHAY: What’s in a Mafia nickname? -- The recent arrests of more than 100 mobsters on the East Coast on Jan. 20 also proves that when it comes to bestowing nicknames, no one is better at it than the Mafia. Canton (Ohio) Repository

JARED OLAR: A trajectory of disrespect for life -- It was a mere three days before the right-to-life movement mournfully marked — and President Barack Obama celebrated — the 38th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton decisions that legalized the killing of unborn children in all 50 states. Pekin Daily Times (Ill.)

PHILIP MADDOCKS: Goldman Sachs deal lets wealthiest clients invest in themselves -- The banking giant Goldman Sachs has created a “special purpose vehicle” for its high-net-worth clients that it says would further set them apart from the rest of the world by allowing the elite group an exclusive opportunity to invest in themselves. MetroWest Daily News (Boston)

Business

ERIC P. BLOOM: The 7 types of difficult employees, part 2 of 3 - In last week's column, I introduced the concept of dealing with difficult employees by first classifying their specific difficulty and then taking specific action based on their classification. This week I'll be discussing Lazy, Brainy and Tardy. By Eric P. Bloom, GHNS

WASTE: Environmental Defense Fund works with McDonalds -- Although sometimes antagonistic, environmental groups are an important check and balance in helping to keep businesses and governmental officials trustworthy and responsible. By Anne Mazar/ MetroWest Daily News (Boston)
* Localization tip: Include environmental state grants and initiatives, how to qualify and where to find more information.